Tool with separable handle



July 29, 1952 s, BLUM TOOL WITH SEPARABLE HANDLE Filed March 9 1951INVENTOR 5/DNE Y EL UM BY y ATTORNE Patented July 29, 1952 iUN I 'DSTATES PATENT orr cejf'fs- Sidney BlunnForest Hills, N.- Y. ApplicationMarch 9, 1951,.Se'rial No. 214,815

The present invention relates to screw-drivers and especially to a toolof. this type wherein the blade or shank is separable fromthe handle toenable the insertion of bladesof various sizes and shapes into thesingle handle;

In tools of this type as heretofore used the handleis usuallyprovided'with a hollow sleeve eX-j tendinglongitudinally of its axisinto which the shank telescopically fits." Inorder to hold thesleeve'within thehandle and to prevent rotation thereof during use," thesleeve has been driven into an opening in the handle to provide simply atight frictional engagement, or the sleeve has been provided'with'external lugs engaging the interior wall of the opening in thehandle. Such construction has proven' unsatisfactory in use because thefrictional engagement of a, cylindriealshaped sleeve is too unreliablein actual usage of the tool and'frequently results inthe tool becominguse less after a short period oftime due to the sleeve rotating withinthe handle ilinderstrain; In instances where the sleeve is provided with'externallugs which are embedded-in the handle this tends to weakenthehandle'wall frequently causing it to split and break thus againdestroying the usefulness of theto'ol. g j It is accordingly the objectof" the present invention to provide'ascrew-driver which is economicalto manufacture and whereinthe shank i s' separable from the handle toenable them- 'sertionof blades of various sizes and shapes and a,longitudinally disposed sleeve firmly anchored inthe handletelescopically receives the shank;

1 Another object of the present invention is the provision of ascrew-driver in which blades of various sizes and shapes maybereadily'inserted and removed from the handle and wherein the latter isprovided with a sleeve for telescopically receiving the shanks of suchblades with the sleeve 'positivelysecured to the handle against rotationunder exceedingly severe strain.

Still further'objects of the present will become obvious to. thoseskilled in the art ,by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein,

Fig. 1 is anelevationalview of a screw-driver constructed in accordancewith the present inventionishowing the shank of a customary bladeinserted in .the handle; I ;.;Fig.t2 is a fragmentary view. of a.Phillips type blade which may be substituted for the usual type bladeof Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary exploded cross-sectional view on a somewhatlarger scale of the screwdriver as-shown in Fig. 1 or 2 invention 4Claims. (Cl.279--96) Fig.4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional -vie v'vsimilar to Fig. 3 but showing the shankinserted into-the sleeve'withinthe handle; P

Fig. 5" is a view taken on the line VV of Fig. 3 v

and lookingin the direction indicated by thear-' rows; I r

Fig. *6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line VIVI"ofFig 5;- IFig. '7 is a fcr oss-sectional view'taken on the line VIIV II of Fig. 3;11 v a "Fig. 8 is-a cross-sectional view taken on the line VIII-VIII ofFig. 3, and Fig. 9 is'an explodeclperspective view of the sleeve withits internal split bushing employed-to hold the shank within the handlein accordance with the present invention. I a Referring now to thedrawings in detail'the screw-driver of the present invention as thereinshown comprises a handle 5' which may be'of wood but preferably isformed of cellulose orthe like. A sleeve 6 extends longitudinally of theaxis ofth'e-handl'e for the telescopic'reception of the shank 'l of acustomary blade 8, or of a .Phillips' type blade 9. As showman theseveral figures, the sleeve. 6 is provided with a head H) of slightly.

larger diameter than the rest of thesleeve, which thus forms'a shoulderl2 resting against the end of the handle 5 for limiting the depth thatthe sleeve is disposed within the handle 5.

- By reference more particularly to Fig. 9, it will be noted that thetransverse surface of the sleeve 6 is provided with small notches 13disposed at with respect to each other, with a pair of such notchesspaced apart receiving a lug I4 care ried'by an .endof a split bushingI5. This latter bushing is formed of two identical matching halves l6and l I. eachone of which hasa out-out portion, so that when the twohalves are joined together, as more clearly seen from Fig. 9, a pair oflongitudinal, slotslS' and ISare provided in thebushing which are 180apartv and align with the remaining pair of notches l3.when the lugs l4engage the other pair of notches l3. I

The diameter of the. split bushing-'l5 correspends approximately to theinternal diameter of the sleeve Sand when the latter is slipped over thetwo halves 16 and I! of the bushing'they, are held together formingztheslots l8*and l9, by en:- ga'gement of-the lugs. 14' with one pairof thenotches 13. The lowerend .of each bushing half l6=and I1- is providedwith a pair of. prongs 2i) and 22 which, although extending generally ina longitudinal direction; are bent slightly outward, ascan-be seen moreclearly in. Figs. 6 and 9.

; The assembly comprising the split bushing l5 surrounded by the sleeve6 is pressed or driven into a longitudinal opening 23 provided in thehandle 5 until the shoulder l2 rests against the end of the handle atwhich time the projecting prongs 20 and 22 will be embedded firmly intothe material of the handle which prevents rotation of the bushing I5under any twisting strain. Since the lugs 14 engage one of the pairs ofnotches I3 the sleeve 6 is likewise prevented f'rom rotation understrain by the rigidity with which the bushing I5 is held within thehandle 5. However, the frictional engagement between the sleeve 6 andthe interior of the handle may be enhanced by the provision of a vknurled surface 24 on the outside of the sleeve 6.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be noted that thescrew-driver shank, whether of the usual bladed end or of the Phillipstype, is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending swaged keysurfaces 2-5 disposed 180? relative each other and ofa thicknesssufiicient to slide through the remaining pair of notches 13 in thesleeve 5 and down- 'wardly of the aligning slots I8 and 19 provided sarytwisting strain encountered, without fear of the shank 1 rotating in theretaining assembly comprising the sleeve 6 and split bushing IE, or thelatter rotating under such twisting strain, because the assembly is heldagainst rotation by the embedded prongs 20 and Hand the lugs M together,with the frictional engagementof the sleeve 6 and i-ts knurled surfaceand "the The shank 'I' oithe interior of thehandle. 5. blade v'may alsobe provided with a knurled portion on a part of its exterior surface, ifdesired, to form a gripping surface for pliers or'a wrench.

It thus becomes obvious, to those skilled in the art that ascrew-driver-is' provided by the present invention whereinithe shank. isseparable from the handle to enable the insertion of blades of varioussizes and shapestherein. Moreover; when inserted in the handle the shankis: not only retained securely therein against accidental displacementbut due to the retaining assembly of ananchored split bushing and asurrounding sleeve, the shank-is prevented from turning within-"thehandle throughout a long useful life of the tool; Although one specificembodiment of thepresent invention; has been shown and described it istobs-understood that still further modifications thereof may-he madewithout departing from the spirit and scope. of the appended claimspIclaim? J a a:

1.- A tool comprising a. handlehaving 'a recess extending longitudinallyfrom' one eisid,v a cylindrical sleeve" 'disprised inxsaid recess-iintight frictional engagement withsaidxhandie and provided with: notches,i a bushing positioned interiorly' of saidlasleeve provided with lugsyengaging the notches saidtsl'eeveand having prongs embedded in said handleto prevent turningof said bushing and-sleeve under stress and saidbushing having slots, aligning'with other notches in said: s'leeve,1anda vtoolfshank having projections engageable with the slots in saidbushing to retain said shank in said handle and to rotate said shank bysaid handle without relative rotation therebetween.

2. A tool comprising a handle having a recess extending longitudinallyfrom one end, a cylindrical sleeve disposed in said recess in tightfrictional engagement with said handle and provided with notches in theouter end thereof, a bushing positioned interiorly of said sleeveprovided with lugs at one end engaging some of the notches in the outerend of said sleeve and having prongs at its inner end embedded in saidhandle to prevent turning of said bushing and sleeve under stress, andsaid bushing having slots aligning with other notches in the outer endof said sleeve, and a tool shank having projections engageable with theslots in said bushing to retain said shank in said handle and to rotatethe latter by said handle without relative rotation therebetween.

3. A. tool comprising. a handle havingfla recess extendinglongitudinally from one end, a cylindrical sleeve disposed in saidrecess" in tight frictional engagement with said handle and providedwith notches in the outer end thereof, a split bushing formed of twohalves held together by said sleeve with each half provided with ,9; lugat one end engaging one of :thenot'ches in the outer end of said sleeveand each half having a pair of prongs at its other end embedded in saidhandle to prevent turning of said busha ing and sleeve under stress,and. said bushing having slots at the junction of said halves align ingwith other notches in the outer'end'of said sleeve, and a tool shankhaving projections en'- gagea-hle with the slots-in said bushing toretain said shank in said handleand to rotate the latter by said handlewithoutrela-tiv'e rotationitherebetween. V I T Q 4. A tool comprisingazihandle having arecess extending longitudinally from one end, a cylindrical sleeve, disposed in said recess in'tight frictional engagementwith said handle and provided with notches in the outer endtherofdisposed at relative to each other, a split bushing formed of twohalves. held together by said sleeve with each half provided with a lugatone end engaging one of the notches. in. the outer end of said sleevewhich are disposedl80 apart and each half having apair of prongs at itsother end embedded in said handle to prevent turning of said bushing andsleeve within said handle. under stress, and said bushing having slotsatthe junction of said halves, aligning with the, remaining notches in'the outer. end of said sleeve which are apart, and al'tool shank havingprojections engageable with. the. slots said bushing to retain I saidshank i said handle andto rotate the latter hy fsaid handle withoutrelative rotation therebetween,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file. ofthis patent: I V .U T DS ES TENT L "Name 88,810 Robertson --JApi.13,186!) "2,378,775 Johnson June 19;1Q45

232%,7'62 Petre. et a1; Jul;y 19, 1949' FOREIGN P TENrsff'; 7 mb ou Da524,784 France i Sept. 10-, 1921

